Finding Pleasure in Pressure

Pete Sampras: relaxed and able to make big shots under pressure. I'm often asked how the best players in the world compete so well when the stakes are so high. "How do they deal with the stress with so much on the line?" Answer: They learn to thrive on it. They don't experience pressure in the same way most people do. Literally, the top players know how to find pleasure in pressure. Finding pleasure in pressure? It's a concept most players have never considered, must less experienced in an important match. In this article I will explore this mind-set, the internal emotional climate, and especially, the physical sensations in the body associated with finding pleasure under pressure. Then let's look at a practical training method that can help you create this same powerful constellation of thought, emotion, and sensation in your own matches. Do you know what Pete Sampras told Inside Tennis after his retirement that he missed the most about the game? He said, "I miss feeling so nervous that I would throw up before the finals of Wimbledon." So don't think that the top players don't get nervous. They do--very nervous at times. Yet Pete was one of...